Surgical appliance.



No. 650,774. Patented May 29, I900. R. W. BARTON.

SURGICAL APPLIANCE.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1899.1 (No Model.) 2-Sheets-Sheei. l.

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SURGICAL 'APPLIANCE.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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a INVENTOI? 51:. fiaZerzfi WBaPZ mb BY Mm A 77'0HNEYS nonrnr wnrrn BARTON, or MARION, ARKANSAS.

sunclont. APPLIANCE.

ELPECTFIGATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 650,774, dated May 29, 1 900.

Application filed December 19, 1899. Serial No. 740,898. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT WHITE BAR- TON, of Marion in the county of Orittenden and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Surgical Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in surgical appliances, and has for one object an extensible splint which shall maintain the desired extension of a fractured limb without weight attachments, allow for correct reduction, and provide a'fenestrum of a desired size, aifording an ample opening for the drainage and dressing of wounds.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide means whereby the'splint may be locked by the surgeon or nurse at the proper extension to prevent the patient from reducing the extension. 7 4

The invention consists of certain details of construction and arrangement and combination of the parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views in which they occur.

Figure 1 is a view of a fractured limb with my improved splints on the inside and out-.

side thereof. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the splint. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same, taken approximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. t is a detail perspective view of one of the brackets. Fig. 5 is asimilar view of a key employed. Fig. 6 illustrates a modified detail. Fig. 7 illustrates a modified form of splint, and Fig. 8 illustrates a. limb having my improved splints on the front and back.

My improved splint comprises two juxtaposed pads 10 10, of leather or other sufficiently-stiff and yet sufficiently-flexible material, each of which is formed with a recess 11 at one edge.

As shown in Fig. 2, the diverging base-arms 12 of brackets 13 are fixedly secured by rivets or the like to the underface of each pad, and said brackets are formed with posts 14, extending perpendicularly to the base-arms up through the recesses above the upper face of dages. site of fracture and wound, the continuity of the pads a suitable distance'and terminating at their upper ends in heads 15.

Each head 15 is formed with a longitudinal threaded opening 16, extending therethrough, and a lateral countersunk threaded opening 16, leading into the longitudinal opening. An operating-rod 17 has right and left threaded portions 17 and 17", adapted to screw into the longitudinal openings 16 in the juxtaposed heads, whereby to move the pads toward or from each other, as required. A finger-hold 18 of any suitable shape is fixedly secured on the rod, whereby the same may be turned.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, one side 19 of the rod 17 throughout its length is smooth or devoid of threads, and with such side is adapted to engage locking devices 20 in the form of screws working in the lateral threaded openings 16, so.that when the proper exten-v sion of the pads is made the operating-rod may be held against further movement. The heads of the'locking-screws are countersunk in the heads of the brackets when the screws engage with the smooth side of the rod and are of non-circular form to be engaged by a correspondingly-shaped key 21, or the screws may be provided with the ordinary screwhead 22, as shown in Fig. 6, to receive the blade of a knife or screw-driver.

In the practical application of my improved splint the pads are properly set at opposite sides of the fracture (one bracket being used on opposite sides of the limb) and made immovable by fitting with plaster-of-paris ban- A fenestrum of desired size is left at the severed bandages being supplied by the extensible brackets which bridge the opening. The limb is reduced by extension and maintained in position as applying any other splint. Preparatory to applying my splint the size of fenestrum is secured by turning the screwrod, which draws in and out the juxtaposed pads, when the splinti-s locked by binding the locking-screws against flattened surface of the screw-rod in either head of bracket. After applying splint should existing swelling occur the further expansion can be secured to a practical extent by unlocking splint and further expanding by turning screw-rods.

without the use of weights and will provide a suitable opening for the drainage and dressin g of wounds and in which the extension cannot be tamperedwith by the patient, for the operating-rod cannot be turned after it has been locked unless the locking-screws are unscrewed by the key or other suitable device in the possession of the surgeon or nurse.

It is to be understood that I do not confine myself to the exact form of pads, diverging base-arms, posts, and heads of the brackets, and finger-hold shown in the accompanying drawings, as such parts may be changed as to their shape without aifectin g my invention, and the brackets can be attached to either face of the pads with or without the recesses in the edge of the pads. For instance, as shown in Fig. 7, the brackets 13 are secured to the upper face of the pads 10", and the lat-- tcr are not formed with recesses.

Having thus described myinvention, what brackets whereby to niove the pads toward or from each other, and means for locking said rod, as set forth. I

2. A surgical appliance, consisting of juxtaposed pads arranged for attachment to a limb by bandages, brackets secured to said pads, a threaded operating-rod screwing in said brackets whereby to move the pads toward or from each other, one side of said rod being devoid of threads; and lccking devices arranged for engagement with such side of the rod, as set forth. v v

3. A surgical appliance, consisting of 3 untaposed and separated pads arranged for attachment to a limb by bandages, brackets secured to said pads and having posts extendin g some distance above the upper face of the pads and formed at their upper ends with heads, said heads being formed with longitudinal threaded openings and lateral threaded openings leading into said longitudinal openings, an operating rod having threaded por-' tions screwing into the longitudinal openings and adapted to move the pads toward or froni each other, one-side of said threaded portions being devoid of threads, and locking-screws working into the lateral openings and adapted to engage that side of the rod which is devoid of threads,said screws having theirheads arranged to receive a key, as and for the purpose set forth. 7

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ROBERT WHITE BARTON.

Vitnesses:

FRANK SMITH, Lours BARTON. 

